I would like to raise Grace as a vegetarian. She'll be 4 months and in reading I'm seeing she should start solid foods soon, anywhere from 4-6 months????? That seems so early to me so I'll take all of the help I can get from the mommy experts here.

Any organic suggestions? I plan to breastfeed her for at least her 1st year, hoping longer.

All of my kiddos ate the organic Earth's Best baby food- I think it's very high quality, and they have lots of vegetarian options. It's slightly more expensive than regular baby food, but totally worth it.

www.earthsbest.com

If you want to BF for minimum of a year, I wouldn't start solids until at least 6 months. The earlier you start, the better chance you have of your dd weaning early. That's what my ds did...

Hi Grace! Actually the current recommendation is to wait until a baby is around 6 months old. Here are some of the readiness signs:
1) can sit up without support,
2) can grab small objects with their hand,
3) is interested in your food, and has teeth.

Until the babies start showing those signs their digestive tracts aren't generally ready for anything other than breastmilk. Waiting until at least 6 months old helps to prevent allergies, as their gut has a chance to mature.

Here is a link for you if you want more info on starting solids and the benefits of waiting:
http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/index.html

Oh, another motto to keep in mind is that, "Before one, food is for fun." Babies need to keep breastmilk primary in their diet for the first twelve months, because it provides more nutrition than solid food can, and also supplies the precious antibodies for their little systems.

Here's my experience with solids. My daughter showed some interest a little while after she turned 6 months old. I gave her some food, but had some problems with rash breakouts. So I cut off the food until she was about 9 months old. Then I started giving her foods one at a time and discovered that she had a banana allergy! Other than that she seems to tolerate most food decently well. We are also raising her as a vegetarian. She really hasn't eaten large amounts of solids until recently and even then she still isn't the world's biggest eater always. At 15, almost 16 months, she breastfeeds 6-8 times a day still. I plan on breastfeeding her until she's at least 2 and hopefully longer if it works out.

There have been some moms who have exclusively breastfed their babies until a year old and the babies turned out healthy. Just follow your mother instincts and watch her natural cues. You'll know when the right time is.

Good luck! :)

Absolutely NO I repeat *NO* need to start your baby on ANY kind of solids at 4 nor even 6 months.
You can exclusively breastfeed for the full first year if you'd like.
I don't know what your thoughts or intentions are there, but anyway.
I wouldn't give that baby any solids until at least 8 months.
It's just not necessary. Really.

And 4 months is entirely too early for their little bellies. AND, introducing solids early has been linked to food allergies/sensitivities.

Just hold off. :)

I am not planing on starting solids until around the 6 month mark unless something happens to my milk supply. When I do start the solids I plan on making the majority of his food. It seems pretty simple and cheep to make your own, plus you know exactly what your baby is eating. All you need is a blender/food processor or a food mill.

shoot...all you really need is a fork :p

heehee

I did use a blender to puree some pumpkin and squash for one child. But that didn't last long. Fork mashed was sufficient hehe

When I do start the solids I plan on making the majority of his food. It seems pretty simple and cheep to make your own, plus you know exactly what your baby is eating. All you need is a blender/food processor or a food mill.

I used a blender to puree food for ds. Then put it in ice cube trays, froze it, and put it in ziplok baggies in the freezer. It was an instant meal when we were eating something he couldn't have or when we were traveling.

Just remember when you're pureeing to add enough water...otherwise it will be lumpy and not smooth! I learned this the hard way with carrots!

I waited until 5 months to start my daughter on rice cereal - it really is easier and less messy to just breastfeed! however, I started feeding my son rice cereal in the evenings right around 4 months. He was having a hard time sleeping soundly at night - would wake up several times just to have his pacifier stuck back in - and I thot the cereal would help him sleep more soundly. It really has! I wasn't real worried about allergies as neither my husband, daughter, or i, or any of our family members have any food allergies. He loves sitting in his high chair and eating cereal.
I think - you should start feeding when you feel comfortable with it. There's not a real hard and fast rule. I wouldn't do this myself, but I know that a couple decades ago, a lot of people fed their babies cereal when they were a couple weeks old.
One thing I personally try to avoid is sugary foods for a new eater, at LEAST for the first year, to give them the chance to enjoy foods without the added sugar, or salt for that matter. I was pretty upset when my 8month old daughter was fed ice cream at a wedding reception when I wasn't around.

6 months... that sounds doable. With David, we gave him rice cereal early on. With Daniel, I tried a little of it for about 3 days, before I realized he really was sleeping okay without it. David is simply a bigger kid. Growth thus far is bigger than DH was at that age. Daniel, on the other hand, is growing, but not at the rate that David did. I'm fine with that.

I am trying to continue exclusive BFing... was going to until 4 months... but hey that's just another week or so... nah. 6 months sounds much better.

DoubleH--Yeah, I would freak too if someone gave my child something that sweet without my permission. Take that back, I have. As a child I didn't really like sweet stuff--my mom just didn't support it. It was not until I got into college and got married that I started liking sweets, and boy does it show. Aargh... Tis a topic for another thread ;) Anyway, the sweets thing got messed up with David already. [whatwacko] I sure am going to try to not let it mess up with this one.